Biobased antimicrobial paper from rice straw fiber coated with Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) extract

This study reports the development of biobased cellulose paper derived from rice straw fibers, enhanced with antibacterial properties through coating with Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass) extract. Rice straw was alkalitreated under high-pressure conditions to produce paper sheets with a basis weight of 106.42 g/m² and a thickness of 0.34 mm. Bioactive compounds were extracted from lemongrass using Soxhlet extraction with methanol and quantified via spectrophotometry at 765 nm, employing gallic acid as the reference standard. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed characteristic cellulose functional groups, with prominent peaks at 3400 cm⁻¹ (O–H stretching) and 2900 cm⁻¹ (C–H stretching). The lemongrass-coated paper demonstrated significant antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, indicating its potential as an active packaging material. This approach utilizes renewable agricultural biomass and a natural plant-derived antimicrobial extract to fabricate a biobased functional paper with antibacterial activity. The developed material demonstrates the feasibility of converting rice straw into a value-added antimicrobial paper and provides a promising platform for future development of bio-based active packaging materials.